Trolley-retriever



l. L. CARPENTER.

IROLLEY RETRIEVER. 4 APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1,920.

l Patented' May 371, l1921.

5 ,AHM/7% 4' l. L. CARPENTER.

TROLLEY RETRIEVER. l APPLICATION FILED DEC.6,1920.

Lsso 1 4. Patented ,May 31, 1921.

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Nunirsi) STATES l Parent," ortica.

JIRA L. CARPENTER, OFLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, SSIS-NOR 0F ONE-EMF TO W. E.

AYRES, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TROLLEY-RETREVER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, i921.

Application filed December 6, 1920. Serial No. 428,707.

`Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Retricvers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley retrievers, and consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

Figure 1 isa fragmentary side elevation of a street car provided with a trolley retriever in accordance with the principles of my invention. v

Fig. 2 is a diametricallongitudinal sectional detail on the line 2-2of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 andv looking in the direction indicatedrby the arrows and with the gravity j pawls omitted.` t

Fig. 4 is agcrosssection on the saine line as Fig. 3 and looking in the opposite direction and with the pawl wheel omitted.

Fig. 5 is a Cross section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing the spring actuated centrifugal pawls at rest.

Fig. 6 is a viewanalogous to Fig. 5 and showing the pawls extended and in their gripping positions. t v

The casing 1 is rigid with the bracket 2, and the bracket 2 is secured to the rear side of the dash board 3. The head 4 is inserted into one end of the casing 1 and fixed in position by soldering, or the like, Vhe hub 5 i'sforined integral with the inner side of the head 4, and the pawl wheel 6 is formed upon Y the periphery` of the hub `5, there being preferably four pawl wheel teeth 7 extending from the pawl wheel, and an eccentricface 8 between the teeth 7. yThe shaft 9l has a key slot 10 extending from end to end, andthe hub 5 has a corresponding key slot. The

shaft 9 is fitted tightly in the hub 5 with a key 11 in the key slots.

The spring drum 12 is a cylindrical Casin g and has heads 13 and 14lixed inits ends,` there being a large spring 15 ofthe clock spring type mounted in the drum between the heads. The inner end 16 of the spring is bent at right angles to'hook into the key slot 10, and the outer end of the spring is attached to the drum 12. Gravity pawls 17 and 18 are pivotally connected to the outer face of the head 13 by pins 19 and 20, so

that the pawls will swing freely in the chamber 21 between the heads 4 and 13 and engage the teeth 7 when at rest and fly out and bear upon the concentric periphery 8 w'ien `the drinn is spinning. The points 22 and of the pawls 17 and 18 are rounded so as to pass over the teeth 7 when the drum is spin-l ning. Tlie head 14 is cup shaped to 'Iorn'i the outer chamber 24, and the blocks 25 and 26 are fixed in the cup and have pawl faces 27 and 28 diarnctrically opposite each other and pointing in the same direction on the line of rotation. e

The spring actuated rope drum 29 cornprises the heads 30 and 31 fitting loosely in the casing 1 and running loosely upon the shaft 9, the cylindrical casing 32 connecting the heads 30 and 31, and thespring 33 connecting the casing 32 to the shaft 9. The inner end 34 of the spring is bent inwardly at rightr angles and slides into the key slot 10. The casing 32 is considerably smaller than the casing 1 or the casing 12 so as to make a chamber 35 between the casing 32 and the casing 1. The trolley rope 36 is attached to and wound upon the easing 32 in the chamber The rope extends out of the chamber 35through an elongated spout 3T so that the rope will travel in the spout 37 back and'forth the length of the casing 32.

The spring actuated centrifugal pawls 38 and 39 are mounted in the chamber 24 against the head 30 and have pawl faces 40 and 41 upon their outer ends to engagevthe pawl faces 27 and 28. The 4pawl 38 is loosely mounted upon a similar pin 43 fixed in the head 30, and the pawl 39 is loosely inountcd 'upon a si'inilar pin 43 fixed in the headV 30, the pins 42 and 43 being diametrically opposite each other, and the lengths of the pawls from the pin 42 to the fare 4() and from the pin 43 to the face 41 being equal. An extension 44 is formed upon the pawl 38 at the opposite side of the pin 42 from the face 40. A' link 45 isv connected to the extension 44 by a pin 46 and to the central portion of the pawl 39 by a pin 47, so that the pawls will swing outwardly and inwardly together. A'leaf 'spring 48 is rigidly connected to the headof the pawl 39 and engages a stop pin 49, the extension of the spring 48 being exerted to fold the pawls into their inactive positions, as in Fig. 5.

The pawls are of considerable weight so as to exert considerable centrifugal force when the rope drum 29 spins; so that the tension of the spring 38 will be Aovercome and the faces and 41 will fly outwardly and engage the faces 27 and 28, thereby connecting the rope drum 29 to the spring drum 12, and when the spinning of the rope drum operates the pawls 38 and 39 to make this connection thev force of the rope drum will start to wind the spring 15 sufficiently to relieve the pawls 17 and 18 of the tension of the spring, and the pawls 17 and 18 will be released from the pawl wheel 6, then the tension of the spring 15 will overcome the force of the rope drum 29 and rewind the rope 36 upon the drum.

The trolley rope'36 is connected to the trolley pole 50 and the tension of the spring 33 is sufficient to allow the rope 36 to play up and down as the trolley 52 follows the trolley wire 51, and the tension of the spring 33 will keep the rope 36 taut, and when the trolley 52 leaves the wire the tension upon the pole 50 will overcome the spring 33 and drum 29 will spin until the pawls 38 and 39 engage the faces 27 and 2S and connect the drum 29 to the drum 12; then the reaction of the spring 15 will rewind the rope 36 upon the drum 29 and pull the trolley pole 50 down until the trolley 52 is below the wire 51.

The head 53 fits in the-end of the casing 1 and has a hub 54 secured to the shaft 9 by a key 55. f

Thus I have produced a trolley retriever consisting of a few simple pieces easily as` sembled and easily disassembled for repair and replacement of worn parts.

Especial attention is called to the matter of assembling and disassembling. The head 4 carrying the hub 5 and the pawl wheel6 is formed in one piece with the hub key Y slotted, the shaft 9 is fixed in the hub'and key slots.V

held by the key, the casing 1 is placed upon the head 4, the spring drum 12 is by the head'13, and the blocks 25 and 26 carried by the head 14; then the spring drum is slid into the end of the casing 1 with the end.V 16 of the' spring in the key slot 10.V The rope actuated drum 29 is made up with the pawls 38 and 39'carrie'dby the head 30; the rope Ywound upon the drumV and the drum is slid into the end of the casing l1 with the end 34 of the spring in the key slot 10, then the head 53 is inserted into the end of the casing 1 with the key 55 in the The tension of the springs is regulated by pulling the rope 36 outwardly to the desired extent. If the rope 36 is too made up with the pawls 17 and 18 carried short for this purpose a cord may be attached to the outer end of the rope and wound upon the drum with the rope, and then the cord pulled out to wind the drums and until the end of the rope passes outwardly through the spout 3 7 and the cord removedrfrom the rope. The springs may be made to any desired relative proportions and of any desired capacity and strength.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A trolley retriever comprising a head carrying a hub and 'a pawl wheel; a shaft mounted in the hub and key slotted from end to end; a casing mounted upon the head concentric to the shaft; a spring drum; a s )ring in the spring drum, the inner end of the spring being bent to fit in the key slot and the spring drum fitting loosely inthe casing and having heads fitting upon the shaft; pawls carried bv one head to engage the pawl wheel; blocks carried by the other head and having pawl faces; a second drum; a second spring in the second drum and having an end bent to fit in the key slot, the second drum being smaller than the casing; heads upon the second drum fitting loosely in the casing and loosely upon the shaft; spring actuated centrifugal pawls'carried by one head to engage the blocks; and a rope mounted upon the second drum and extending through the casing.

2. A. trolley retriever comprising a head carrying a hub and a pawl wheel; a shaft mounted in the hub and key slotted from end to end; a casing mounted upon the head concentric to the shaft; a spring drum; i

a spring in the spring drum; the inner end of the spring being bent to fit in the key slot and the spring drumV fitting loosely in Vthe casing and having heads fitting upon the shaft; pawls carried by one head to engage the pawl wheel; blocks carried by the other head and havingpawl faces; a second drum; a second spring in the `second drum and having an end bent to fit in the key slot, the second drum being smaller than the casing; heads upon the second drum fitting loosely in the casing and loosely upon the shaft; spring actuated centrifugal pawls carried by one head to engage the blocks; arope mounted upon'the second drum and extending through the casing; and a second head fitting in the casing and having a hub keyed upon the shaft.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name toi this specification.v

IRA L; CARBENTER. 

